125. Queen of the Dead (2)
‘Goddess!’
[Got it!]
As he urgently called out to the goddess, she responded by replenishing the divine blessing granted to her apostle, Eunhyeon.
He resolved to actively utilize the blessing that had previously blocked Media's approach in her spirit form.
Though it took the form of leveraging Verdandi's favor, he couldn't just let Media approach Illyana unchecked.
“Why does my man’s scent linger on some strange woman?”
Following Media as she groped Illyana’s body and sniffed her, Eunhyeon slammed his fist into her face with all his might.
Crack!
Eunhyeon’s merciless punch struck Media’s cheek squarely, sending her body flying through the air as if launched.
“That hurts.”
“She can even materialize physically, huh.”
He’d thought she could only exist as a spirit, but recalling how she’d groped Illyana’s body and the solid impact from his fist, the Media from moments ago had clearly possessed a tangible form.
“Hmm, but this mana scent—it feels so familiar. You’re Elishea’s daughter, aren’t you? Though ‘daughter’ might not fit with the age gap. Grandchild, maybe?”
“What…?”
“What’s that? You didn’t even know your own origins? Despite inheriting the witch’s blood?”
“Illyana, don’t listen to her.”
“Hyeon?”
“Hee hee, Hyeon really is something. The one all witches fall for.”
Eunhyeon’s face twisted savagely at Media’s amused smile, as if she’d discovered something delightful.
“Yes. I missed that face of yours so much. I finally resurrected, but you were nowhere to be found. I gathered my strength after coming back to life, waiting for you, but I lost all motivation. I wanted you to kill me again. I craved that ‘love’ of yours laced with contempt!”
Media was one of the most heinous humans in history, having massacred tens of thousands on a national scale, resurrecting the dead with necromancy to turn them into her slaves, and single-handedly assembling an army that plunged the continent into chaos.
By slaughtering tens of thousands and devouring their souls and death qi, Media had transcended humanity at some point.
After breaking free from human limits, she refined her necromancy to revive even mindless magical beasts, subjugating even their instincts to make them her servants—a feat that left everyone aghast.
She was the ultimate catastrophe, a one-woman army.
Thus, her epithet at the time: Queen of the Dead.
One day, this Queen of the Dead had her heart stolen by a man who roamed the battlefields, slaughtering her necromantic legions.
Why had her gaze been drawn to him—the only one with the potential to drive a sword through the Queen of the Dead’s throat, something no one else could do? Amid the deaths of tens of thousands, only one man stood unyielding against her army, his body drenched in filthy blood. That sight had dazzled her.
After that, she killed countless people to draw his attention.
Would he finally look at her? She yearned for him to focus solely on her, every nerve on edge.
A monster who had shed her humanity without fully grasping human emotions was inherently twisted.
The monster ignorant of love mistook her affection-starved distortions for love, plunging deeper into madness to crave it more.
Her ecstatic, warped expression and madness-glazed eyes fixed on Eunhyeon.
“While becoming a lich and recovering my strength, I indulged in so many fantasies alone.”
Dead and reduced to a soul, she slowly regained her power, counting the days until she’d meet Eunhyeon again.
“How much did you think of me? Did you miss me? After killing me, did I cross your mind? Did you ever regret killing me too cleanly? Did you wish you’d torn off my limbs, shredded my guts, and pounded me into mush until I suffered unspeakable agony? Huh? How was it?”
Her innocent smile, like a lover asking how much she’d been cherished, clashed horribly with the situation.
Fierce emotions craving the affection she’d never confirmed.
Each time she absorbed the disgust, contempt, and rage pouring from Eunhyeon, she writhed in pleasure, her face rapturous, defining it all as ‘love’.
“……”
“Haaa… yes… you still love me…”
“What a crazy bitch…”
“Hopeless.”
Illyana and Riod muttered in a mix of exasperation and revulsion as they stared at Media.
Eunhyeon said nothing, merely glaring with utter loathing, yet she deluded herself that his reactions were love—her twisted state was severe.
The contempt and disgust from her beloved man stabbed at Media’s heart, tickled her, brought ecstasy that soaked her loins, and she arbitrarily defined this sensation as ‘love’—the root of her profound distortion.
From Eunhyeon’s perspective, even if he spat that he hated her, showing contempt or revulsion would only be misinterpreted as proof of love. Conversely, he couldn’t bring himself to say he loved her even if his mouth tore open—it was maddening.
[Goddess!]
[Blessing of Vesta]
[Purification]
Elenoa, who had exhausted all her holy power blocking the serpent dragon’s breath, squeezed out what little she’d recovered—like wringing water from a dry well—and chanted a prayer of purification.
Sizzle!
“This… holy magic?”
The pure energy emanating from the holy power enveloped Media, blurring her spirit form.
The energy composing Media’s spirit body was the polar opposite of Elenoa’s holy power.
It might not deal severe damage, but it could affect her—this moment proved it through the holy magic.
“Who the hell are you to boss my man around? Get lost already!”
“Hng…?”
Media watched with interest as Illyana stepped forward like a fierce lioness protecting her cub, shoving Eunhyeon behind her.
“Illyana, I’m fine. Let me handle—”
“No, you stay put. Don’t you get that you stepping in now would just backfire? That bitch is straight-up insane. Better if you’re not around.”
A leisurely smile crept across Media’s face.
“Fun. But it doesn’t matter. Even if Hyeon’s tangled up with trash like you right now.”
“Bullshit…”
“It’s fine. He’ll come to me in the end.”
“……”
“It was like that before. He had all those comrades, but only Hyeon ever reached me. We’re fated. In the end, only Hyeon can understand me, and only I can understand Hyeon.”
“This psycho bitch spouting what nonsense—seriously!”
Illyana’s reason snapped at Media’s incomprehensible ravings, and she unleashed a barrage of high-digit magic at her.
Not a proper strategy—just dumping mana into spells to vent. They phased through Media’s spirit body, ravaging the innocent forest and village into scorched earth.
“Hee hee, how long do you think Hyeon and I fought, trying to kill each other?”
“……?”
“Thirty years. For thirty years, Hyeon and I waged war. In all that time, did he never have women like you, or comrades, by his side? Was he always alone?”
“That’s…”
“They all died in the end. Leaving Hyeon behind. An immortal living eternal life is always in the position of watching others leave. I’ve never had to let anyone go, but searching for Hyeon this time, I felt that aching longing. Hyeon must carry that grief his whole life, saying goodbye to those close to him. So only we can understand each other.”
With light, bare footsteps, Media approached gracefully.
“Don’t come closer…!”
Phasing through Illyana, she appeared before Eunhyeon in an instant, whispering seductively into his ear.
“You’ll watch everyone precious to you die too, until only you reach me. I’d love to see that look on your face again.”
It didn’t matter if Eunhyeon was with other women.
Media knew full well he was an attractive man.
She felt no ugly possessiveness or jealousy.
Those stemmed from fear of losing him to another.
At the world’s end, the last ones standing would be the near-immortals: Eunhyeon and herself.
The certainty that she’d claim Eunhyeon in the finale bred a victor’s leisure.
Thus, Media willingly accepted his current flings and wanderings, prepared to wait.
“No need. I’ll kill you right now.”
“Haa… I want to share love with you right now too, but you can’t kill this me. This spirit form is just a fraction of my power. My true body’s in the demon realm now—killing this won’t do a thing.”
“Demon realm…?”
Eunhyeon’s brow twitched at the word ‘demon realm’ in Media’s wistful mutter.
Riod and Illyana reacted the same.
Twenty years ago, the emperor of the Mirvabila Empire had tried summoning demons by ripping open a path to the demon realm.
“You… the demon realm again…”
“Huh? No? I’ve no intention of opening it directly. Nor the means. But… we’re bound by fate’s thread, so we’ll meet someday, right? Hee hee.”
“Shut up.”
Was that thwarted plan resurfacing elsewhere?
Unease began to creep in.
“Anyway, taking in that kid wasn’t entirely useless. They even summoned me so I could meet you. Hee hee, such a good child. Shall I take them with me?”
Her tone was polite, almost pleading, but by the time she finished, Marius and Renat’s corpses had vanished without a trace.
“And a gift for Hyeon: Necromancy will cease to exist on this land. I taught it only to that child. So with me taking their corpse, no necromancy remains here. Not until I appear before you again.”
“…What’s your game?”
“I can’t stand some unapproved bastard using my necromancy on this land. Feels like someone stealing my Hyeon.”
“……”
He couldn’t comprehend this woman’s sensibilities at all.
To Eunhyeon, Media wasn’t love—she was a loathsome existence tied to horrific memories and experiences, worthy only of contempt.
Yet she acted as if they were lovers, naturally twisting Illyana’s expression into a scowl.
“What bullshit—!”
“I love you.”
With that sweet whisper in his ear, the death qi forming her spirit body dispersed, vanishing without form.
“……”
After saying her piece and leaving, Illyana’s fists trembled with rage.
“Um, uh…”
Elenoa, who’d been watching nervously, tried to comfort her hastily, but Riod grabbed her shoulder, shook his head, and pulled her away urgently.
As Elenoa was led off, putting distance between them, Illyana’s pent-up fury exploded right on cue.
“Aaaaaaagh!”
“……”
Eunhyeon quietly gauged her mood and started to slip away.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Huh? Nowhere?”
“Since when the formal talk?”
“Did I? Don’t remember.”
After squinting at him for seconds, Illyana grabbed his collar, forcing his head down.
Confirming Riod and Elenoa were far off, she whispered into his ear.
“First thing when we get home, we’re doing it.”
“What?”
“That psycho groped my body earlier, sniffing my nape. Feels filthy. I’m washing it off with you. I held back way too long this time.”
“……”
“And the way she talked like you’re hers, all smug? Pisses me off to no end.”
“Hey, that’s not my fault… That stalker bitch is the one—”
“I know. Not your fault. It’s that psycho’s too. Ugh, black magic? Necromancer? Just watch. I’ll kill her myself. What? Immortal? Eternal life? So what—you killed her once. Right?”
“Uh? Y-yeah.”
“You did it once; no law says I can’t do it twice. That bitch dared provoke me? She’s done.”
Illyana’s blazing eyes unnerved Eunhyeon for some reason.
“Riod! Why’re you so far? Get over here! We’re heading to Fernin now!”
Riod tilted his head at Illyana’s raised voice, her anger still unsated, clueless to their exchange.
“……? Got it.”